


Delirium

by SheeWolf85



Series: Fever [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Edge's POV of ch7, Fever side chapters, Karaoke, M/M, Red is a little shit, Song Lyrics, he just wants to get laid, lyrics, might only be this one we'll see, rus is oblivious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-07-23 06:34:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20003881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheeWolf85/pseuds/SheeWolf85
Summary: A potential series of outtakes and side POV's for chapters of my story Fever.Edge's POV of chapter 7: Karaoke Night 1.0. We get to see what Edge is thinking as Rus performs his song.





	1. Karaoke Night - Edge's POV

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for song lyrics used in-story. I'm sorry, I tried to not make it annoying, but I also felt like it was at least a little bit necessary. Obvs I don't own the song "I Need a Hero" or any of the lyrics.

“If they suggest a second movie, we aren’t going to stay.” 

Edge secured his under armor before slipping on a black sweater. He then fastened his pants and slid on his belt. The skull and crossbones buckle wasn’t just for show. It was imbued with Red’s protective magic, just as Red’s collar was imbued with his. 

Red showed up in the doorway wearing his customary dark jeans and jacket over a crimson sweater.

“we ain’t doin’ movies tonight, bro.”

Edge turned from the mirror to look at his brother with rising annoyance. “Excuse me?” There was no way in any of the nine circles of Hell anyone actually thought game night could make a comeback.

Red simply picked at his gold tooth with a sharpened fingertip, completely unbothered by Edge’s attitude.

“remember that karaoke machine sansy asked me to help him fix up?” he asked, sounding almost bored. 

Edge saw through it. Red was looking forward to this.

“You cannot be serious,” he sighed. This was ridiculous. From the moment Blue told him about the wretched thing, he knew what his future would one day hold. He was absolutely not in the mood for any of this shit.

“oh, i think you know i can be serious as shit. ‘sides, paps and blue’d be hurt if you didn’t show up.”

“I have a meeting in the morning. An important one. You know this, Red! You have to be there with me! I don’t want to go tonight. We can’t go.” He started undoing his belt to take it off when Red growled behind him.

“you sure as fuck are going, cuz i’m goin’ and i ain’t gonna let you stop me.”

Edge turned then, almost surprised that his brother would take that tone with him. Red was the older brother, and there was no doubt that he could kick Edge’s ass if he chose to, but that didn’t change the fact that Edge was the one in charge of the household. Red was supposed to listen to him, to follow his orders. He was the one who could keep a level head and make the right choices to keep them both alive and sane. 

Red looked up at him, a challenge in his sockets. 

“Why is this so important to you,” Edge asked curiously. 

Red blinked a few times, his shoulders falling slack from their defensive posture. He hadn’t expected Edge to ask that question. He’d expected more arguments.

“It can’t just be because you helped Sans to fix up the machine.”

A slight pink blush rose up on Red’s cheekbones. Ah. Of course. Red had some ideas of seducing his softer counterpart, and missing this evening would likely hinder his chances as it would mean disappointing Papyrus. 

“‘course it ain’t just that,” Red huffed. “you gotta have some fun, too.”

Edge rolled his eye lights. “I will not be singing. End of fucking story.”

“yeah, we’ll see about that.” It was muttered under his breath, but Edge heard anyway.

A half an hour later, they were standing on the ‘Tale brother’s doorstep. Razz opened the door to let them in, and Papyrus soon bounded around the corner to greet them. 

“You made it!” he all but screeched. 

“I’m sorry we’re late,” Edge said. He tried to keep his attention on his host, but he was eager to find out if Rus had managed to make it. 

Then his brother spoke up. “he didn’t wanna come. i had to force ‘im.”

Papyrus and Blue both had done so much to make these evenings as welcoming and fun for everyone as they possibly could. They took into consideration each individual’s tastes and dispositions, and never once did they try to force the evening upon anyone. It was only part of the reasons that these evenings had been so successful. 

To see the look of hurt pass over Papyrus’ face was painful. Edge reached out and smacked Red lightly on the back of the head. 

“That is not true, you lying shit.”

“oh, so you meant somethin’ else when you said, ‘i don’t want to go.’?”

Red knew exactly what the fuck he meant. With a sigh and a roll of his eye lights, he explained so the others would know as well. “I simply meant that I have an important meeting tomorrow morning. Regardless, I don’t have any desire to participate in tonight’s activities. Watching you make a fool of yourself, however, is something I’ll always take pleasure in watching.”

Papyrus gave him a genuine smile. “Well, we’re all very happy you decided to come!”

Edge couldn’t take it anymore and looked out over the living room. He spotted Rus and relaxed, happy to see that he was feeling well enough to come. He hadn’t expected Rus to smile and wave at him as though he was happy to see Edge there, but Edge nodded in greeting anyway before turning back to his host. 

Dinner was nice, though not as spicy as he would have made it. He thought about what he and Rus had talked about. He often did wish he could bring some of his own seasonings, but he knew without a doubt it would be taken as an insult. 

Edge wasn’t surprised when the wine was brought out. He chose not to get drunk. 

A while after everyone was finished eating and properly tipsy, the group migrated to the living room. Edge watched in amusement as a drunken Sans and an entirely wasted Red hooked up the karaoke machine to get it working. The others talked about what songs they might want to sing, and all the while Edge sat wondering what Rus might choose. 

Their performances were what Edge had expected they would be. At least they were having fun, he thought. 

Edge was a little wary when Rus got up, concerned about his energy levels. 

“i’m still a bit blech, so i’m sorry if this sucks.” 

Well, at least he was able to admit that he didn’t feel completely better. He flipped a few songs before choosing one, letting out a “no, wait!” before the music started. 

Maybe he’d picked the wrong one?

It didn’t seem to concern him too much, because then he turned around and began to sing. 

Looking directly at Edge. 

“where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods?”

Edge didn’t know this song, but he still wondered why Rus would choose to sing to him. 

It seemed he wasn’t after all...Rus turned his gaze to the rest of the group as he continued his song. 

“where’s the streetwise hercules to fight the rising odds? is there a white knight upon a fiery steed? late at night i toss and i turn and i dream of what i need.” 

As he sang, his hips swayed to the beat and he used his arms to dance along, pretending to reach for something out of his grasp.

He looked right at Edge again as he began the chorus. 

“i need a hero! i’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night. he’s gotta be strong and he gotta be fast, and he’s gotta be fresh from the fight.” 

He couldn’t be singing to Edge, could he? Although, he had once called Edge his hero for bringing him food. 

That wasn’t the same. The song was obviously...something. Something meaningful, possibly even sexual, in nature. Edge wasn’t entirely sure, but he was fairly certain that Rus didn’t actually mean to sing to him. He was drunk.

“i need a hero! i’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light. he’s gotta be sure and it’s gotta be soon, and he’s gotta be larger than life!”

Yes, he was most definitely drunk. And yet, he kept looking back at Edge for much longer than he did anyone else. 

“somewhere after midnight in my wildest fantasies, somewhere just beyond my reach, there’s someone reaching back for me. racing on the thunder and rising with the heat, it’s gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet!” 

He then launched into the chorus again, singing as if he truly meant every single lyric.

Edge wanted to be concerned by the sweat that was beginning to drip down Rus’ skull. He wanted to feel some kind of worry that he was overdoing it, that he needed to sit down and rest.

Instead, he found himself staring at the glossy bones and marveling at the color of his magic. 

And then. Oh, and then...in an instrumental moment of the song, Rus stripped off his hoodie. 

Edge had seen his bones before. Rus knew he looked good, or at least he put on a good show of believing it. He’d been known to strut in that tank top, back before they became friends, just to make an attempt at teasing him. It had never worked. 

Hell, he’d seen the guy naked. Granted, he’d been sick at the time, and Edge hadn’t allowed himself to look any more than he absolutely had to.

Never before had he seemed attractive.

But in that moment, all Edge could see was how beautiful his bones were. Long and thin, completely unmarked from a peaceful life, yet strong and glossy as if he’d polished them. 

Sweaty, too. Hot. So very hot. 

He raised the hoodie over his head and started swinging it around as he sang the next part of the song.

“up where the mountains meet the heavens above, out where the lightning _splits_ the sea, i could swear there is someone, somewhere watching me.” 

He let go then, sending the hoodie flying into Edge’s face. 

Shit. He’d been caught, hadn’t he? He’d probably made Rus uncomfortable, staring the way he had. He held Rus’ hoodie in his lap for safekeeping until he finished his song.

He chanced a glance back up at Rus, and he was still watching him, singing to him. Oh, Edge wished he was. He would very much like to be Rus’ hero. 

“through the wind and the chill and the rain, and the storm and the flood, i can feel his approach like a fire in my blood!"

The chorus repeated a few more times after that, and never once did Rus look away. 

Edge was almost sad when the song ended. He joined in everyone’s applause and watched as Rus bowed. Then wobbled. Then reached out with flailing arms to catch himself on something. 

Edge shot out of his seat to catch him, dropping his hoodie on the floor in the process, but managed to grab him by the elbows before Rus could nosedive into the carpet. 

Only then did Edge realize that Blue had gotten up as well. Of course Blue would have caught him. He would have been fine. Why was his soul pounding so hard?

Rus grinned at him, all lopsided and drunk, and Edge felt a pulse of something unfamiliar yet entirely pleasant in his soul.

“damn,” he sighed, “you really are my hero.”

Edge felt his cheekbones heat up. He had to say something, didn’t he? “I just don’t want to see you die.” Right, because losing his balance in the living room is a life-threatening ordeal. Still, he continued. “I’ve put energy into keeping you alive thus far; I’m not about to let it all go to waste.”

And, truthfully, he couldn’t bear to see Rus hurt again. Even if all he would have gotten was a bruise and maybe some rug burn.

The smile Rus gave him in return told him he wasn’t convinced. Edge hadn’t fooled anyone. That was okay; at least Rus didn’t call him out on it. He let Edge and Blue help him back to his seat. Edge gave him back his hoodie, settling it in his lap. He didn't let himself hope Rus didn't put it back on.

“guess this means it’s your turn,” Sans said, reaching over to slap Slim on the shoulder.

Edge had heard things about Slim’s singing voice from Razz. In rare moments when they’d get together and amicably discuss their methods of keeping their respective Snowdins safe, they also found themselves talking about their homes and what they loved about being the Captain. When alone, Razz wasn’t nearly as competitive as he was when he had an audience. 

He supposed that made sense. Razz had survived in life by impressing people. It was his way of ensuring both his and his brother’s success; show up the competition and make damn sure he’s irreplaceable. 

Still, Edge was looking forward to seeing if Slim would put the effort in to prove Razz right. 

He shouldn’t have doubted. The moment Razz put on his proud face, Slim made the decision to give him a reason to be proud. 

Slim’s voice reminded Edge of his own. He couldn’t help but be proud as well; he knew how hard it was to have a talent like that and have to hide it. Slim’s ‘verse wouldn’t let a voice like that stay hidden, and Slim could very easily be taken from Razz to be used for crowd entertainment. Edge had faced that same fear growing up, and it was only part of the reason he refused to sing anymore. 

Edge barely managed to catch the microphone as Slim tossed it at him before going to sit back down with his hood drawn up. 

“Holy cow, Small Me!” Papyrus exclaimed, his eye lights damn near morphing into hearts. “That was extraordinarily beautiful!”

Slim nodded meekly. “thanks,” he whispered.

Everyone then turned to look at Edge. A part of him did want to sing, but he had no idea what he might want to perform. At the same time, he didn’t want to give the impression that he might try to show Slim up. 

He got up, still debating as he walked over to the machine, before he remembered his meeting in the morning. 

Fuck.

With a sigh, he flicked the power switch to turn the machine off. 

The cry of disappointment from the entire room made him smile a bit, although sadly. 

“You are going to allow yourself to be the only one who didn’t perform?” Razz challenged.

“I most certainly am,” Edge answered. He had to be responsible about this. “It’s late, you’re all drunk or stoned, or both, and I have an important meeting with one of Muffet’s representatives in the morning.” He pointed at his brother. “You’re going to be there as my backup, Red, so I suggest you come home with me now to sober up before then.”

Red looked over at Sans, and Edge might have laughed at the longing on his face if he didn’t actually feel bad. If there had been any possible way to reschedule the meeting without pissing anyone off, he might have tried. But, tensions were high enough as they were and he couldn’t risk Muffet misinterpreting his request if he should ask. Her time--or rather, her representative’s time--was important.

“i’d listen to the edgelord,” Sans said, something in his voice suggesting that whatever game he and Red were playing would keep until the next opportunity.

Red growled anyway, mostly for show, and got up. He swayed on his feet and slapped away any attempts to help him as he picked his way over to Edge. 

Back at home, Edge dunked Red in a bath to help ease the smell of weed and alcohol before settling him in bed. Red still grumbled a bit, but was asleep in no time. 

Edge spent the rest of the night thinking about Rus and how he was going to apologize for ogling him the way he had. Rus hadn't seemed upset about it, but then he was drunk. If he remembered the next morning, he’d likely be upset. 

He sighed and made some tea, deciding to wait until he saw Rus next to decide how much forgiveness he was going to have to beg for.


	2. Epiphanies - Edge and Red talk at home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set just after chapter 11 (Epiphanies); Edge and Red go home to talk about what happened.

**** The walk from the basement to the front door was silent. Red stayed behind him out of sight as Edge unlocked the door and stepped inside. 

As soon as the door was shut and locked, and the alarms activated, Edge turned to his brother, snarling. 

“What gives you the right--”

“it’s my fuckin’ job to look out for your, bro,” Red interrupted, his glare vicious. “so i made a mistake; doesn’t change the fact that rus has been tryin’ and succeedin’ to find a crack in yer defenses from the get-go.”

Edge sighed. “Where the hell have you been the last few months, Red? Things have changed.”

“yeah, and what’re you gonna do when they change back?”

He didn’t want to consider that. Both he and Rus had gone through a metamorphosis of sorts, and it truly felt like going back to how they were before wasn’t even a possibility. 

“If it was your job to make sure I never get hurt, I have some bad news for you.”

Red balked. “what tha fuck’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded. 

Edge rolled his eye lights and crossed his arms over his chest. “Take one look at my face and you’ll understand, Brother. You kept us alive and encouraged me to make something better of myself than the street trash we were as children, and for that I will always be grateful, but--”

He gasped as his soul was turned blue and he was dragged down to his knees, forced to look up at his much shorter brother. Red’s expression showed how much he appreciated Edge’s comments.

“i get that i can’t protect you from everythin’, but i’ll be fucking damned if i’m just gonna sit back and watch you put your faith in a cocksucking bastard like rus only to get yer soul crushed when he just wants ta fuck ya then forget ya.”

Edge growled, struggling in Red’s gravity-bending hold. “Let me go.”

He knew about Rus’ proclivity toward brief sexual encounters. It didn’t change how he saw his alternate. He knew what he was getting himself into, and if having a brief fling then returning to friends was what Rus wanted, he’d take what he could get. 

When Red’s hold on him only strengthened, Edge tossed an attack at him to throw him off. It worked enough to get out of the hold and jump to his feet. Before Red could try to grab him again, Edge grabbed him by the front of his jacket and lifted, turning to press him against the door. 

“You don’t get to decide who I spend my time with! I do  _ not  _ appreciate you going behind my back to sabotage my friendship with Rus. It is none of your business who I choose to sleep with or for how long any of my relationships last. If I get hurt, it will be my own fucking fault and I’ll deal with it. Furthermore, you are  _ not allowed _ to threaten any of my friends without talking to me first. I don’t care what the circumstances are.  _ If  _ I need your help, we’ll make a plan of attack together like we always have in the past. This will be the last time I tell you. Understand?”

Red’s growl was constant, his glare frustrated and resigned. 

“yeah, i understand. let me go.”

Edge did, stepping back to let Red fall to the floor. 

“How would you feel if I meddled in your efforts to get close to Sans?” Edge asked, striding across the living room to choose a book to read. He could use an hour or two to relax after the day he’d had. Thanks to Blue, he didn’t have to worry about figuring out or cooking dinner.

Red scoffed. “like ya don’t already.”

Edge rolled his eye lights. “There is a difference between enforcing your duties here and meddling. Tell me you understand that.”

“yes, i fuckin’ understand. lea’me’lone. i’ll stay outta yer business wit’ rus, but i ain’t gonna promise nothin’. my warning ta him still stands; he hurts you, i hurt him.”

Edge supposed he couldn’t expect much different. Instead of saying anything, he made himself comfortable on the chair and opened his book. Red teleported out, likely to his room, leaving Edge alone. 

His concentration on the story unfolding in the novel was spotty at best. He found himself having to reread paragraphs after his thoughts wandered to movie night the next day and the fact that he and Rus were going to talk about what had been revealed that night. He didn’t give up, didn’t want to think too hard on upcoming events. Instead, he sucked in a breath and continued trying to read. 

**Author's Note:**

> There may or may not be other chapters that I want to write Edge's or someone else's POV on. That is what this is for. I can't guarantee that I will ever write another POV for the story, but we'll see.....
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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